Challenge Fic Conspiracy
by invisibleinnocence
Summary: There are only so many things you can learn from living away from interaction. Books never taught me how to handle unruly roommates, get a grasp on the complex art of socializing, and maintain top marks in school...let alone falling in love.
1. Chapter 1

"Nervous?" I heard my uncle ask as if from a distance. Snapping out of my dream-like state, I looked at white knuckles gripping the hem of my skirt. Hesitantly, I released my grip, feeling an uneasy feeling in my stomach. "I've heard the academy has an extravagant library," the young, but aging man to my left smiled comfortingly, and I wasn't scared to admit that it brought ease to my nerves.

"I really can't wait..." I said quietly. The imaginary butterflies fluttered around in my insides. What could I say? I was excited to finally be on my own and interact with other people, but another half of me was still attached to living with my uncle. In a way, I was rather wary of this new abode, afraid that I would have challenges with interacting with other students. For one, the past 16 years of my life had been spent in a small mansion; and though it was a very nice way of living, I never got in touch with the outside world. The very far and few excursions I ventured on were upper-class parties, which involved the usual sit quietly and only speak when spoken to. I lived out my early life as a quiet, stiff-backed, proper young lady.

Our car halted in front of ebony-colored, iron gates. Behind them continued a vast landscape with beautiful forgery, but the most spectacular was the church-like, Victorian building standing elegantly in the background. My uncle cut the engine and hopped out of the driver's seat, traveling to the back to fetch my luggage. I unbuckled the belt across my lap and stepped down onto the cobbled walkway, squinting at the early morning sun.

"Good morning!" a voice cheered as I heard the clattering of an iron chain slither through the gate and slump to the ground.

My uncle came around from the trunk of the car, rolling my suitcase behind him, "Ah, Kaien. It's good to see you," he leaned forward and shook someone's hand. The person he greeted reminded me of my own uncle, I mean, they almost had the same shade of graying-blonde hair and were practically the same height. They could have been dopplegangers, save for the fact that Kaien had a more motherly aura about him, long hair, and a clean-shaven baby face. I looked down to meet fuzzy, pink bunny slippers.

I retract my doppleganger comment...

"So this is your daughter?" another voice said. It was cold and icy, yet warm and soothing at the same time. I felt a shudder run down my spine.

"Niece, actually," I felt my uncle pat my shoulder. "I'm her adoptive guardian until she becomes of age."

Out of habit I curtsied to the two figures in front of me, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Immediately my arm was yanked out of it's socket, "There's no need to act so stiff! It's almost like you're a vampire!" Kaien said, voraciously shaking my hand.

"B-but I am!" I exclaimed, taken aback by the energy I was greeted with.

Almost as quickly as it started Kaien dropped my hand, waving his own hand as if he was bidding someone good-bye, "Oh, yes, yes! How could I have forgotten? That is the reason Kaname is here, of course."

I looked at the young man standing next to him. Like all vampires, he was handsome, though he still had that strange, cold yet warm aura. Relatively, it creeped me out, but I knew there was no doubt he was a pureblood, and there was no way I could ignore that. It was mandatory to treat him with the utmost respect.

"I see you're doing well, Lobanov," Kaname cooed.

"You as well, Kuran," my uncle smiled warmly. Habitually, he glanced at his pocket watch, "Huh, time sure goes faster than you think, doesn't it?" As if in a rush, he kissed my forehead, and shook hands with the two other men, "I'm going to have to run. Unfortunately, I have a meeting to attend." He scooped me up in a hug, "Stay safe, I'll write once a month."

"Stay safe as well, Uncle," I said, returning his hug and planting a kiss on his bristly cheek.

He finally dropped me back on the ground and got into the driver's seat of the car. Watching him drive away and leave me in such a strange place, made my knees horribly weak, palms sweaty. I've always let my nerves get the best of me...

I gripped the handle of my suitcase and let Kaien and Kaname lead me into a new life.

* * *

Cross Academy, I learned, was split into three sections. There was the main building, for classes and other school activities, and then there were two different dorms. One was the Sun dorm, where the Day class, human, students resided, and the other was the Moon dorm, where the Night class, or vampire, students lived.

I was assigned to a room on the girl's side of the Moon Dorms, I would be sharing the room with another Night Class student. Kaname handed me a clean, freshly pressed, girls' uniform, the student handbook and a set of textbooks, then simply left, not even bidding a single "good-bye", or at least a "good luck."

I turned to the open doorway and was about to step into the cozy looking dorm-room, but suddenly, I was confronted by an upside-down figure that swung from the top of the doorframe. Out of instinct, I screamed. "New student, huh?" a slightly irritated voice said. All I could see was a pair of bored-looking hazel eyes. "Hm..." a calloused finger brushed my nose. "I guess you could do..."

"D-do what?" I stuttered, frozen in front of who I presumed to be my roommate.

"Oh, nothing," I heard a clap and the figure spun to the floor without a soft _thud._ I looked down to confront a boyish, petite girl running a hand through messy, nutty-brown hair. She looked up at me strangely, "Well, don't just stand there looking like a bimbo. Come in. This is partially your room after all..."

Fumbling with my luggage a bit, I managed to get through the door and dump all my items onto the bare mattress. I huffed and turned to the girl, holding out a hand, "Hi, my na-" The girl was picking up my textbooks and tossing them over to the nicely made-up bed on the other side of the room. "What are you doing?"

The girl laughed, "This is my bed. My sheets are...ah-hem...elsewhere..." she took up my hand and shook it, "I'm Lillith Discenza, Class B Nobility."

"Evangelline Lobanov, Class B."

"Hm..." she looked to the side, still shaking my hand, as if mulling something over. Something told me, by her looks and the way she acted, that Lillith was not quite all there. "You wouldn't happen to have any tar in that bag of yours would you?"

I looked at her strangely, "Um...no." Promptly, Lillith dropped my hand, striding over to the far wall. Producing a pencil from behind her ear, she quickly scribbled something out on a mural of papers. They looked like, well, not too different from my uncle's invention designs, to say in the least. "...What's that?" I asked.

"Oh, this?" Lillith turned and slapped the wall like a good teammate. "These are design plans."

"For...what?"

Lillith chewed down on her pencil, "You sure ask a lot of questions, but I'll tell you." She jumped up on the footboard of her bed and plopped down on the bare mattress. I took a seat on my own bed. "You probably know why most of us Night Class students are here, right?"

"To get close to Kaname?"

Lillith nodded, quickly sticking her tongue out at the name, "My parents are pro-monarchy, so I'm here to get all 'buddy-buddy' with Kuran. The only reason I agreed to come here though is because of one person," she grinned, "Hanabusa Aidou!"

Aidou? The name seemed familiar, then it hit me. I had remembered seeing the Aidou clan at a party. Their son, Hanabusa was a flamboyant teenager, usually having younger women drooling over him. Was Lillith just another fangirl? She sure looked crazy enough to be one.

Lillith's short stature was standing over me, her eye twitching, "You think I'm in love with Hanabusa, don't you?"

I gulped, "Um...well..."

She laughed, slapping her knee, "Ha! Like I haven't heard that one before! Me! In love with Hanabusa Aidou...That's hilarious, my friend." She wiped a tear from her eye.

"Then...why did you come for him?"

Lillith clamped her hands on my shoulders, "Because, Aidou is one of the best pranksters in all of the world, universe and time, of course!" She placed her hands on her hips, "I want to become his apprentice." The girl looked to me, "But besides that, what are you in here for?" She sat back down on her bed.

"My uncle thought I need to start living in the outside world for once...I don't get out much, to put it into simple terms," I answered. "I'm not really here for Kaname, as far as I know..."

Lillith stopped twirling her pencil around her fingers, "Do you even know who Kuran is?"

"President of the Night Class?" I knew he was important, but I never really bothered to ask why.

"No, stupid!" she looked like she was ready to smack me upside the head, "...I mean, yeah, he is...but as much as I hate to say it, he's the most respected Pureblood in all of vampire society. If the monarchy prevails against the Council, he's our king." Lillith started to twirl her pencil again. "You really don't get out much."

I shrugged.

Lillith looked out the window, stretched her arms and yawned. "You better put on that uniform of yours, Night Class is going to start heading over to the Academy in a bit."

* * *

At least fifty Night Class students were standing by the large gates that led to the classrooms. I adjusted the petticoat of my uniform, and tightened the red ribbon around the collar. Lillith sprinted up to my side, looking around as if she was trying to find someone. The jacket of her uniform was unbuttoned, shirt wrinkled. Panting, she tied up her hair with the red ribbon that was supposed to be on her uniform. "Good, gates aren't open yet..." she gasped, buttoning her jacket and folding back the cuffs.

"I thought you were the one telling me not to be late," I said, taking the initiative to pull a piece of fuzz out of her unruly hair.

"I'm not late," she said, straightening herself. She pointed to the clock tower, which started its chime for seven o' clock. "I'm perfectly on time." Lillith scanned the crowd again.

I looked around as well, "Hey, Lillith, would you mind telling me who all of these people are?"

"Most of them aren't very important. Lower Class B vampires trying to climb the ranks. The only people you need to know are those guys up at front," she said, pointing to a group of vampires at the front of the crowd. She pointed to Kaname, "Obviously, that's Kaname Kuran, President, Pureblood, and giver of all punishment." She then gestured to a smiling blonde, about the same height as Kaname, "Takuma Ichijou, Vice President, Class B, his grandfather is the head of the Vampire Council. He's practically human, I don't know how Shiki and Toya stand him quite frankly."

"Who are they?"

Sure enough, she pointed to a dull looking pair standing by Takuma. They were both fairly short, compared to Takuma, at least. The girl carried an umbrella, which they both stood under. "Senri Shiki and Rima Toya, both Class B, but Shiki is pro-Council and Toya is pro-monarchy. If you didn't figure it out already, Ichijou, Shiki and Toya are all really close friends, you almost always see them together if Ichijou doesn't have to go around tending to VP duties." She pointed to another female with waist-long pinkish brown hair, "Now we have Ruka Souen, Class B, pro-monarchy, and absolutely hates my existence. I'm not at all shocked," she shrugged indifferently, "but-...Where's...?"

"Laaaadddieeeesss! Wait for meee!" a cry came from behind, prompting the whole crowd to turn around. A vampire that could best be categorized as "devilishly-handsome" was hopping down the cobbled plaza, struggling to put on a shoe. Close behind him was a tall, stalky student, following silently with his hands in his pockets.

Lillith smiled, "And that would be Hanabusa Aidou and Akatsuki Kain, both Class B and pro-monarchy." Hanabusa jumped through the crowd, nudging vampires out of his way to get to the front. Hastily, he pushed past Kaname just as the first seven were walking out the gates. High-pitched screams could be heard from where I was standing. I could feel my eyes get wide. Lillith was following the group infront of us, "And those would be our fans, right on time."

By the time Lillith and I got to the gates, the pathway was practically clear. "You the last ones?" a particularly annoyed voice said. I turned, looking to a white-haired student. He had a scowl on his face, as if I was a poisonous plant.

"Zero! Be nice!" another student reprimanded, she was about the same height as Lillith.

Zero turned to her, "Anyone hanging around Discenza is bound to be trouble, I'm just doing my job!"

"Ha! You'd be doing your job if you weren't late all the time!" at that she punched him. He promptly shoved back.

"Good to see you're doing well, Kiyru!" Lillith sang, skipping away to the academy. I followed uneasily.

_Anyone following Discenza is bound to be trouble? Oh, Uncle, what have I gotten into?_

_

* * *

_

**Feedback is appreciated. :) This _is_ a challenge fic, so I would really like to know how I can do better in every possible way. What do you think of Evangelline and Lillith, so far? ^-^" (and Uncle, if you have an opinion on him, 'cuz he's coming back, later. haha) I'm also not getting involved with honorifics, even though they use them in the anime and manga, I was getting messed up on Kaname's (what, the night class calls him "-sama" but day "-sempai" but the night call him "-sempai" in the presence of the-asdlkfahs;dlga [dies]), and then I didn't know what to use for other characters, and it turned into a whole messy mess and I just said, "Forget it. I'm too white for this." I'll leave honorifics to the people who actually know how to use them properly. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A big thank you to Vivace and rinako for leaving a review! I'm really trying to get better at replying to my reviews on FF since I always do it on deviantART. To anyone who was thinking about reviewing, I'm inviting you to rip this story apart to every letter and punctuation. I want it to get better with each chapter I write and that can only be done if people tell me what I'm doing wrong! haha.**

* * *

I was back in my room, unpacking my suitcase. Lillith was asleep on her bed, a sketchbook resting on her stomach and a pencil held loosely in her hand. I rubbed much needed sleep from my eyes and turned my attention to hanging up one of my winter jackets. Clothes finally put away, I took out a bottle from the bag. I popped open the lid and poured two gel-like capsules into my hand. They were a translucent red and captured the light as I rolled them around my palm. Like every time I took these pills, I wondered what they were for, Uncle never took the time to tell me. All he had ever said was that it was necessary for me to take them, so I did without question. I trusted the man with my life, so I usually did what he asked with little rebellion. Quickly, I tossed the capsules in my mouth and swallowed, feeling them take a slow journey down my throat.

Coughing a little, I continued to take out little trinkets from the bottom of my suitcase: blood tablets, a worn-out, stuffed teddy bear, a quilted blanket, and some books. I put the tablets and the books, along with the pill bottle, in a drawer that was attached to my bed-side stand. I picked up the teddy bear, brushing away a loose piece of thread from its nose. It was a quite pathetic looking creature. One of it's chocolate-colored eyes were missing, the second barely hanging by a couple of strings. There was a hole in its shoulder where fluff was bleeding out and it's original creamy toffee color was completely faded, but I was still very attached to it. It was one of the only things I had from my parents.

According to the records, my mother and father, Laurali and Hershel Lobanov, respectively, were just normal noble vampires. They had everything and anything they wanted and they were about to be blessed with their first child, me. However, there were complications and my mother only lived long enough to touch my hand and give me a name. My father, estranged from losing his one and only mate, committed suicide a few days later.

Many people at those few parties said they took pity on me. "A pretty, proper girl like you should not be damned with such circumstances," was something I commonly heard, as if I should be clad in black and sobbing into a handkerchief my entire life. Of course I was sorrowful about my parents being gone, there wasn't even a tombstone to look at. However, I was born for a reason. I was born to live, and I should carry out that intent. In a way, I was living for the life Laurali and Hershel could not complete. With the little I could do in my childhood, I had taken that on as my duty.

Laying the bear down and unfolding the blanket on the bed, I found the final item in my suitcase: a picture of my parents. I placed the frame on the bed-side stand, taking a good look at it. Finally, I crawled into my bed, blowing a kiss to the photo and switched off the light.

* * *

A few days had passed since I first stepped foot in Cross Academy, and I spent them mostly unnoticed, only really conversing with Lillith, and even then, that was not much. I found my classes were not as challenging as I presumed they would be, but it could have been due to my constant working. I had found little time to socialize as my life became dominated with flipping through ancient texts, scribbling down essays and solving equations on stiff pieces of parchment. It didn't feel all that different from living with Uncle, so I was happy.

I looked at the grandfather clock that stood proudly in the library, it was only three in the morning. I ran a hand down my face, focusing back on the advanced calculus textbook. I dipped my pen in the inkwell and finished off the problem I was working on, yawning as I added the final number.

My eyes were struggling to stay open, but I was so close to finishing...

...Maybe for just a second...then...I'll

...

* * *

"Miss? Hello?" there was a soft poking on my shoulder. "Are you awake?"

"Hmm?" I moaned, as an extremely close equation came into my vision. Immediately I snapped up, quickly wiping drool from my face.

"You know it's against the rules for a Night Class student to be in the library during Day Class hours, right?" the girl that was always at the gates said. I think Lillith once told me her name was Yuki.

I looked at the clock, which read well past eight. "Oh! Crap! I'm sorry!" I felt my face flush. "I could have sworn I was only asleep for a second!" I jabbered, gathering up my things.

"Was that calculus you were doing?" Yuki asked.

I stopped in the middle of screwing on the cap of my inkwell, "...Yeah. I can't believe I feel asleep doing such a simple task. I'm sorry," I couldn't help spilling out apologies.

Yuki laughed, making me turn redder, "It's really not a big deal, other students from the Night Class have done much worse. But..."

"What?" I said weakly.

"I know this is going to sound really strange, but I'm sure Cross isn't going to mind," Yuki looked at me. "Would you mind tutoring me in calculus?" she rubbed her neck, smiling. "I'm sort of failing the class due to these night patrols and Zero's not all that much help."

Slowly I closed my book, "Um...sure? I guess." How did I go from getting reprimanded to being hired as a tutor?

"Really? That's great!" she cheered, leading me in the direction of the Moon Dorms. "You do this for me, and I'll log it in as your detention time! See you Saturday!"

At least the student handbook was living up to its guidelines. I wasn't going to get off easy for punishment, new student or not.

Yuki didn't leave me out of her sight until I was past the Moon Dorm gates, where I then made a sluggish way to the actual dorm. Now knowing how tired I really was, I just wanted to crawl in bed and sleep. I could already feel the morning sun burning my skin. As I climbed up the stairs to my room, I barely noticed Lillith and Hanabusa Aidou standing in the hallway, both having a water-filled bucket in each of their hands and one on their head. I simply dismissed it as a strange sleep-deprivation dream. At last, I dropped the armful of school supplies carelessly in the closet and collapsed on the floor, right next to my bed, uniform and all.

* * *

**Constructive feedback is welcomed and highly appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again to Vivace for your wonderfully constructive review. The plot of this is Evangelline living out her life at C.A., and then...well...I don't want to give too much away, which is why my summary is very vague. I didn't want to give people preconceived notions about certain elements of the plot (especially since it is an OC story). If anyone has a better summary, it would be awesome if you could tell me. (Also a thanks to my mom and my sister who have been helping me with editing and such. :D)**

* * *

I heard a door slam open, promptly waking me from my slumber, "I've done it!" Lillith's voice screamed, her tiny feet pattering over to where I was sleeping. "I'm Aidou's apprentice! I didn't even need to pull an extravagant prank for it!" she skipped over to her mural of plans and ripped off a whole strip, throwing the papers in the air like confetti. She cackled like a villain.

I sat up, attempting to blow half of my hair out of my face, "What? How?" I asked, still trying to get a grasp on what exactly was going on.

Lillith jumped up on my mattress, tucking her knees under her chin and looking down at my most likely messy and pathetic appearance, (which now that I thought about it, probably looked perfectly normal to her), "Kuran made me serve punishment with him. It was quite convenient, actually. Unfortunately, Hanabusa actually likes that stuck-up Pureblood, so I won't be able to carry out acts against him anymore, but it's a small sacrifice to make..."

"Seems like you were struck with good fortune," sighing, I stood up. "Maybe it will extend to that exam we have tonight," I smirked.

Lillith froze, "Exam?" she demanded as I started walking to the shower. "What exam? Evangelline!" she started to bang on the door after I shut it. "There can't be an exam the night before St. Xocolatl's Day! You have to tell me what it's on!"

I opened the door back up, sticking my head out, "What's 'St. Xocolatl's Day'?"

"What do you mean 'what's St. Xocolatl's Day?'? It's only about the most important holiday for the entire Night Class!" the petite little vampire threw her hands in the air. "It's the day when we get presents and stuff from the Day Class! ...Not that I really get anything...I'm not the one to really get admirers, but it's quite stressful for us Night Class students, and we're going to have an _exam_?"

Shutting the door, I shrugged, "I don't really see why it's such a big deal. I see Night Class students getting gifts from the Day Class everyday. What makes tomorrow so special?"

Lillith pounded her fists on the door again, "Because it's _official_! You can declare love to _anyone_ and not be considered stupid or a freak, because _everyone's_ doin' it!" She punched the door over and over, causing the hinges to rattle, "Now lemme borrow your notes! I know you always take them! You're the only one who does!"

I pulled my camisole over my head, "They're in my drawer. The blue notebook."

The rattling stopped, "Thank you, Evangelline!" Lillith said sweetly, just before I turned on the shower.

The possibility that Lillith was actually studying my notes was very small, but that was the least of my concerns. I leaned my head back into the hot stream of water, mulling this St. Xocolatl's Day over. Now that Lillith was Aidou's "apprentice" I suspected that she would be spending most of her time with him and his cousin. Despite how much I conflicted with Lillith as a person, she was the closest thing to a friend that I had, and now, I was pretty much alone. I thought for a bit. Was there really anyone that I even admired yet? No. Of course not. It was probably a sign that I should be interacting with people more.

More of the question, did I _want_ to admire someone in such a way? This made me pause, not noticing that I was pouring a boundless amount of shampoo into my hand. The closest I had gotten to any romantic experience was what I had read in the tiny library my uncle kept, and even then, romance wasn't a huge part of the plot in most cases. I decided that maintaining a relationship at Cross Academy was at the bottom of my to-do list.

I realized shampoo was overflowing in my hand, clumsily dropping the bottle on my toes as I attempted to get every last drop on my hair.

* * *

As predicted, Lillith didn't walk with me to class that night. I walked alone at my usual place in the back, giving Yuki and Zero my regards for their hard work. Yuki reminded me of my detention on Saturday, just before I was out of earshot.

Class seemed to drone on. I finished the exam early, resting my head on my desk, observing the other Night Class students from my high perch in the very back. The only other students done as well were Kaname, Hanabusa, and a couple various other vampires...while, surprisingly, the only one still working was the vice president. Even Lillith had given up on trying to copy off of Aidou's cousin (who was simply twirling his pen around his finger, probably daydreaming) and had turned her attention to doodling on her arm. I could see the professor become very unimpressed with the class's efforts. Eventually, he just collected the exam, whether the class was done or not. What surprised me the most though, was that he didn't even assign homework for the night.

My walk back to the dorms seemed eerily quiet, partially due to the fact that Lillith was no longer following me around. It made me conflict on whether I was glad she was gone. I let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing my upper arms in a feeble attempt to stay warm.

The back of my throat was beginning to get dry and scratchy by the time I reached my room. I walked into the bathroom and filled a glass of water, reaching into the collective tin of blood tablets that Lillith and I decided to keep. I watched the tablets fizzle into the water as I sat up on the marble counter, drumming my fingers on my knee. Slowly, I raised the glass to my lips, letting the cold, chalky, bitterly sweet liquid run down my throat. From what I heard, tablets weren't nearly close to the taste of real blood. Real, running blood was supposed to be warm, like tea on a frozen winter morning. Other people told me it was like drinking liquid gold. I finished the rest of my glass, feeling that I could care less about the taste of real blood. The tablets sufficed enough, and seemed like half of the mess.

I didn't sleep much that morning. Lillith came back to the dorm just as the sun was rising, washed up, and quickly went to bed. We barely exchanged greetings, not even making eye contact.

My attempts to achieve some rest that afternoon were crushed by the ruckus going on outside. Various screaming could be heard with the Disciplinary Committee's shrill whistles above it all. I was thankful that last night's exam wasn't tonight.

I finally decided to get up and get dressed. I made my way down the stairs, tucking my hair behind my ear as I went. I wasn't looking where I was going when I ran straight into someone in my attempts to quickly head out the door. My class supplies went flying as I lost my balance and went face first onto the hardwood floor.

"Oh my!" I heard a voice cry. "Are you alright?"

"Owwww..." I groaned and pushed myself up, flipping my hair over. Hesitantly, I looked at the damage of my fall. My favorite pen had been snapped in half, my inkwell broken and the ink spilling out on one of my books. Just great. But almost as quickly as I took in the mess, someone was already working on picking it up.

"I hope you're alright. It seemed like you took quite a fall there," the person said, swiftly moving my books away from the mess, to prevent further damage.

I rubbed my nose, it stung a little, but wasn't broken as far as I could tell, "I'm fine. Thanks for helping me," I muttered, looking down at the ground, picking up the broken pieces of my pen.

"It's not a problem," the person laughed lightheartedly. "I don't believe I've seen you around, which is quite shameful on my part. What is your name?"

I looked up to see the smiling face of the Night Class vice president, "Evangelline Lobanov."

"Pretty name for a pretty girl," he sparkled. I felt my face flush red. "I'm very sorry this happened, Evangelline. I'll fetch some new supplies from the storage room to replace the broken ones. Fortunately your book seems to be saved for the most part, a good thing too, _Loveless Lake _is such a beautiful story." He handed my rescued school supplies to me and got up, disappearing behind the staircase.

Sure enough, the vice president returned with a new pen and inkwell, "They're not nearly as nice as your old ones, but they'll suffice, I'm sure."

"Thank you," I said, putting on a small smile, but too much facial movement caused my nose to sting.

"Oh, no," he frowned. Spontaniously, he produced a handkerchief from his jacket, kneeling down in front of me. "Your nose is bleeding."

I touched it, feeling it slick with my blood, "Shoot, I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry. Here. I've got it," he gently wiped the blood away as if I was a hurt child on the playground, holding my hand away by the wrist so I wouldn't go touching my nose or intervene with his care. What shocked me the most was that he didn't seem to be bothered in the least by the smell. Lillith was right. He was practically a human. "I think that'll take care of it," he said, snapping me out of my distant thoughts. He disposed of the bloodied cloth in a nearby wastebasket. "Do you need me to get you any ice? It might bring down the swelling a bit." He smiled again.

I quickly got up, feeling a bit flustered, "No! It's okay! I'll be fine. Thank you for all the help..." I held my tongue. It hit me that I didn't even know his name, Lillith said it only once or twice.

"Ichijou, are you alright?" a dull, but concerned voice came from the top of the stairs. "I smelt blood."

The vice president turned around, looking up at a wine-red headed vampire who was leaning over the banister, "I'm fine, Senri. I was just helping a student." Ichijou turned to me and smiled, "Will you be alright?"

"Yes, of course," I started to head out the door, "thanks again for your help."

Ichijou shrugged, still smiling with his humanly, sparkly aura, "It's not a problem. It's my job as VP after all."

I nodded, before closing the front door behind me. Immediately, I shook my head ridding my head of the dazed feeling it had. I was so taken aback by Ichijou's kindness, it was very contrasting to everyone I had met so far.

I shooed the butterflies away from my stomach as I wished I could talk to anyone without getting so flustered.

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**As always, even the simplest review on your opinion of my story is appreciated. :) (Though constructive crit. is encouraged.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Phew! This chapter took forever to write (each section was edited and re-written about four or five times. -_-"). Eva finally gets to interact with more cannon characters! Which means this story is going to get even more challenging...oh boy. I hope I can save her from becoming a Sue...**

**A big thanks to Imamc and Third Time Charm for leaving a review on the third chapter. I don't think I could have pulled through this one without your amazing comments. ;A; I am forever in your debt...**

* * *

"N-no...this can't be..." I looked up from my textbook. Lillith was standing on her side of the room, grasping a clump of her bangs in her hand as she held a piece of paper in her trembling hand.

"What is it?" I asked, curious as to why my roommate was acting so dramatic.

Lillith pulled at her hair, "I just got a letter from my parents telling me that if I get suspended one more time, they're going to cut my funding!" She threw down the note, "Just great."

I bit down on my pencil, watching as the fifteen year old paced back and forth. I could tell by the way she rolled a strand of hair between her thumb and middle finger that she was brewing a plan in her head. I really couldn't see how hard it would be to just stop misbehaving and follow the rules for once. Considering that Lillith got caught about every four felonies that she committed, she was on a direct path to getting expelled.

She didn't even really need to be Aido's apprentice. She was more of a rebel than he was.

It was more likely she just needed someone with common ground.

Maybe that's what I needed.

My mind wandered to Ichijo handing me my copy of _Loveless Lake_, an event that had happened merely a week ago. Immediately, my face grew hot and I pushed the memory from my head, turning my attention back to Lillith as she snapped her fingers.

"I got it!" she pressed a finger to her lower lip, "Since it's most likely inevitable that I'll get suspended sometime in the near future, I'll take Headmaster Cross's camera the next time I'm called into his office, snap a few photos of the Night Class, and then sell the pictures for ridiculous prices to the Day Class girls!"

I twirled my pencil in my hand, deciding not to point out what an incredibly idiotic idea that was, "Go for it," I muttered, turning my attention back to my book.

"You think it'll work?" Lillith jumped up on my bed, not taking notice that she was stepping all over my homework and essays, "You really think so?"

Wincing as I tried to ignore the ugly creases that now plagued my usually crisp and neat papers I looked to Lillith, who was gazing at me with eager hazel eyes that sparkled under thick, brown eyebrows, "Yeah, I guess. I mean, anything will work if you try hard enough."

The younger girl giggled, "You know, Evangelline, you really not as boring as you come off." She knocked on my head like it was a door, "Ya definitely have some brains up in that noggin of yours."

"Uh...thanks?" I rubbed my forehead as Lillith jumped down to the floor.

She stretched her hands up to the ceiling, yawning as she turned over her shoulder, "You should join me, Aido and Kain sometime. Get out a little, you're always shut up with your nose in a book."

I simply stared.

"I know, why don't you come with me after class tonight. Have a bit of fun, eh?"

"A-alright, I guess."

Lillith grinned, "So it's settled, then!"

* * *

As I strolled out of the classroom, putting a stray blonde hair behind an ear, I was roughly pulled into a dark corridor, a hand placed firmly over my mouth. I felt a warm air that smelled strongly of cherries breathe against my ear, "I told you I was going to take you to hang out with me, Aido and Akatsuki sometime." I could almost see Lillith smirk devilishly in my head. Instinctively, I tried to release myself from Lillith's hold, since she was several inches shorter than I, and my back was being bent in an incredibly uncomfortable way. However, Lillith's grasp was surprisingly strong, so I ended up screaming muffled cries and getting my uniform wrinkled in every which way. "Shush!" the girl reprimanded. "We don't want to get the Disciplinary Committee's attention before we even start carrying out our plan!"

I pried Lillith's hand off my mouth, straightening to my full height and adjusting the leather strap of my book bag on my shoulder, "And what, exactly, is this 'plan'?"

From the shadows emerged Hanabusa Aido and Akatsuki Kain, as if on cue. Aido was tossing a mysterious pink bottle in his hand, Kain was staring at the ground, like his shoes were more interesting then what was happening around him. "We're going to dye that evil Zero Kiryu's hair pink!" Aido announced.

I stared, looking from Lillith's evil smirk, to Aido's excited grin, to Kain's emotionless expression. "It's genius isn't it?" Lillith asked, rhetorically. "Kiryu's gonna be so _pissed_!" She high-fived with Aido.

"Wouldn't this be, I don't know, wrong?" I questioned hesitantly.

Lillith was already pulling me out towards the eastern side of the campus, where the horse stables were. "Of course it is, but counting how many times Zero's turned us into Kaname, it's only fair..."

I decided not to mention that they were getting in trouble because they were disobeying the rules, Kiryu was only doing his job as a Disciplinary Committee member, and that by pranking him back, they were just provoking an endless cycle of war with the Day Class student.

Once Lillith was sure I wasn't going to turn on my heel and go back to the dormitories, she ran up next to Aido. I followed, Kain not too far behind. I noticed he would constantly look at the two students running in front of us and sigh, as if this was a daily routine and he already knew the foreboding outcome. I gripped the strap of my book bag tighter, trying to keep up with the brisk pace, but I often had to slow down to catch my breath.

"You really don't get out often, do you?" Kain asked in his masculine, monotone voice.

I rested my hand against a nearby tree that stood just outside the stables, "Unfortunately, not." I forced a slight smile.

"Lillith talks about that a lot. She complains that you always have your nose shoved in a book. You sure you're not related to the Vice Gang Leader?"

"The who?" I asked, somewhat confused.

"Vice President Ichijo," he clarified. "He's always forcing books and manga onto other students." The vampire ran a hand through his hair, "Won't take no for an answer either..."

I felt my face grow hot at the mention of the Vice President, puzzled on why I reacted this way when the slightest thought of the student entered my mind. To say in the least it was unnerving.

However, my train of thought crashed into a wall of bricks when I heard the sound of gunfire.

Kain and I immediately looked to the stables.

"Aido! Discenza!" a silver-haired Day Class student roared, "Get out of the bloody stables!"

The two vampires emerged from the crude wooden building with their hands up, "Ah! There you are, Kiryu!" Lillith smiled.

Aido had a look of fear on his face, staring at the gun held in Zero's hand, "Put that damn vampire killer away, though. You could have shot us!"

"You know that Night Class students should be back in their dormitories right after their school time ends, right?" Zero still pointed the gun at Aido, his teeth barred.

"Aido and I were only fluffing up the hay by your precious White Lily. We know how much you like to sleep there, but I guess you're just so ungrate- eek!" Lillith squealed as Zero shoved the gun into her face.

"Hey, hey, calm down a bit," Kain jogged over to the scene, trying to separate the minor feud. "Hanabusa and Lililth didn't mean any harm."

Zero paused, then reluctantly retracted the gun back into his jacket, "So you guys are training the new student to be a delinquent, too, huh?" he growled. I stood paralyzed as he gestured in my direction.

"Pft, like you're one to talk," Lillith scoffed under her breath. Zero didn't hesitate to flip her over on the ground.

He looked down at the wincing Night Class student, "You were saying?" Something told me we had caught the Disciplinary Committee member in a _very_ bad mood. My whole being was trembling at the thought of the punishment we were likely to receive. Lillith slowly got up, brushing off her skirt as Zero started heading in the direction of the Moon Dorms.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Aido shouted.

"I'm going to report you to your dorm president so you can receive a proper punishment," he turned to me as I sheepishly followed the rest of the group. "And don't think _you're_ getting off easy just because you're new. I saw you serving your detention by tutoring Yuki. It sickens me that she goes easy on you disgusting beasts..."

I quickly started watching the ground move under my feet, "Y-yes, Mr. Disciplinary Committee, sir..."

My response was the last set of words spoken until we made it inside the Moon Dormitory.

"Ah, Kiryu!" a voice said as we stepped into the foyer. "I'm sorry, but President Kaname seems to be quite ill and won't be able to meet with anyone today. Can I get you anything? You seem tense, maybe some tea?"

Zero rubbed his head as if he had a headache, "No, Vice President Ichijo, that's fine. I found some of your classmates breaking school rules, I brought them here to receive proper discipline."

"Oh," Ichijo sighed, "I see. Thank you, I'll take care of this..."

Zero nodded curtly, and left, quickly sending venomous shots towards Aido and Lillith before closing the door behind him.

"Huh," Ichijo turned to the rest of us, looking us over, "I expected Hanabusa, Lillith, and Akatsuki to be turned in, but not you," he looked over at me. "You never looked like a participant of teenage delinquency." I quickly stared at the ground.

"Victim of the circumstance," Kain muttered under his breath. "Join the club..."

"But that doesn't matter," he turned back to the coffee table to take a sip of tea. "...As you know my birthday is tomorrow."

Aido groaned in exasperation, "Cuz you've only mentioned it about_ three million_ times."

Ichijo simply laughed, "So as punishment you'll have to keep the rest of the guests entertained. I was thinking about even inviting the Disciplinary Committee." He lazily swirled what was left of his tea in the cup, looking as if he was trying to remember something.

"What are you, crazy?" Aido and Lillith exclaimed at the same time.

"Not clinically," the Vice President poured more tea into his cup. "I respect the Disciplinary Committee for all their hard work and perseverance. It would be rude of me to not invite them."

Lillith pulled at her hair, "But that means Kiryu is going to be there!"

"Kaname will spend all his time doting over Yuki!" Aido cried.

I rolled back and forth quietly on my feet as the two vampires complained about their punishment, hoping Ichijo would get sick of it and dismiss us. However, as I strayed my eyes from the floor, I saw that he was enjoying himself. Childishly, he poked fun at Aido, teasing him about some crush on Kaname. Every time I saw his lips form a cheshire-like smile I felt my heart jump into my throat. My head felt dizzy, my palms were sweating, dear God, what was this?

"Evangelline, are you alright?" his shining emerald eyes were staring right at me.

I swallowed hard, "Y-yes, Vice P-president."

"You're looking quite ill. Do you need someone to escort you to your dorm?"

"N-n-no. That's alright. I can walk myself," I stumbled on the Persian rug, catching my fall on the banister and scampered up the stairs. I just wanted to curl up and shut myself off to the world like I had done for so many years before. Why me? Why Ichijo? I barely knew the guy, so why was I reacting like this?

Did everyone feel like this when they found a potential friend, even someone who was the least bit kind to them?

I shut the bathroom door behind me and took a hand-full of blood tablets from the tin. I sunk into the corner as I quietly sucked on the powdery substance, feeling my heart ease back into my chest and my hands cease their quivering. If this was what making friends, or at least enemies, felt like, I sure didn't want any part of it.

* * *

**As always, you are welcome to rip apart my blood, sweat and tears to make even more blood, sweat and tears. You know, since there's a salt shortage and all...**


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to give a massive thank you to my beta reader, Third Time Charm. Seriously, I cannot thank you enough! This chapter would pretty much suck if it wasn't for your help. :) I'd also like to thank XxBroken-PromisesxX, Vivace, Iris Starlight, MidnightVampire18, and nebulaX for leaving reviews on the previous chapter!**

* * *

"Who does that damn Ichijo think he is?"

"Aido..." the call was slow and somber, almost not heard.

"Not all of us are insomniacs that can stay up at all hours! You know how I get when I don't get my beauty rest!" Aido's voice jumped an octave as his anger rose.

"Hanabusa," the tall man standing next to him called more assertively.

The pompous blonde vampire snapped a champagne glass by its stem, "What is it, Akatasuki?"

Kain gestured to the soapy mess Aido was making as he viciously washed crystal-ware that was meant to be used for Ichijo's birthday party. Aido tossed the broken glass into the trash bin and started wiping up the mess, grumbling to himself.

I returned my attention to folding napkins next to Lillith, who was etching some plan for a contraption into the table with a knife instead of doing any actual work. "The Vice President takes his birthday pretty seriously..." I muttered quietly, hoping that someone would assess my statement as a question, and pick up my attempt to start some type of conversation from there.

"_Tch_. That's an understatement," Aido scoffed, throwing a towel over his shoulder and going back to washing dishes. "I wouldn't mind so much if he would actually shut up about it for once, considering this party has been planned since the start of the school year. ...At least the cake is always good..."

"Who cares about the cake?" Lillith piped up. "The thing I hate about these parties is that they're for the VP, but somehow Kuran manages to be the center of attention in some way or another." She flicked away a piece of wood-shaving from her carving. "Just goes to show you everything here is about politics..."

Aido turned around, sending soap bubbles flying as he pointed a dripping wet sponge at the girl, "Ichijo should be honored that Kaname even thinks about going to these trivial parties! I-I would relish in unimaginable ecstacy to have something similar happen at one of my occasions!"

Lillith turned her attention back to whatever she was planning, "My point exactly..."

Kain confiscated the knife from Lillith's hands, giving her a stern look before placing the sharp object in a drawer. "Vice Gang Leader's mother should be dropping off decorative bouquets in the next thirty minutes. How about you occupy yourself and help with that?"

The girl pouted, but got out of her seat to leave.

Several times I must have opened my mouth in an attempt to ask about the purpose of the decorations, and why they came from the vice president's mother, but once Lillith was gone, I lost all courage to strike up conversation. Silently, I folded the soft, blood-red napkins while listening to the delicate clinking of crystal as Aido washed the dishes. Kain grabbed a towel, starting to dry the plates that were stacked by the sink.

To my secret delight, the rest of the morning chores were finished without another word.

* * *

I still couldn't believe how lavishly the Moon Dorm's pavilion was decorated, despite the fact that I had been staring, motionless, trying to take it all in for several minutes. There were flowers everywhere, bows and streamers decorating every place they could hang off of, and at least a hundred candles lit the whole scene, but...

"Yuki! Zero! Welcome! It's my birthday tonight! Please, enjoy yourselves!"

...the air around the beaming Ichijo gleamed with a light brighter than any candle.

I looked up from my book and over to the dessert table, seeing the two-person Disciplinary Committee stare at the Vice President with unnerved faces. "H-how old are you?" asked Yuki.

"In human or vampire years?"

"V...Vampire years."

"I'm eighteen! I'm a grown up now..." Ichijo blushed, putting a hand to his cheek. "...Oh! I want you to kiss me for my birthday present, Yuki."

Yuki reacted the same way I did when he had asked me the same question earlier. By now, I knew he was joking, he'd asked almost every girl in the Night Class.

Lillith had slapped...well...rather punched him when he asked her, extending her punishment to three days worth of suspension upon Kaname's request.

"We're here on strictly business, Vice President, about what happened this afternoon. You know leaving school grounds is forbidden, and then that vampire..."

Ichijo leaned back against the table, "Sure, ask me anything."

"I want to know why you killed that vampire this afternoon," Yuki demanded, smoothing her hair down. "You must have went there specifically to kill it. What made it so special?"

That afternoon? I pretended to bring my attention back to my book so I wouldn't appear to be eavesdropping. So that was where the vice president had gone when he mentioned he had "important business" to attend to in the middle of the party preparations...

Aido folded his arms, "Level E, lowly creature..."

"Yuki," Ichijo started, seeing the confusion on the human girl's face, "In vampire society, those at the top are called 'purebloods', and below them are the 'nobles'. These types of vampires make up the Night Class. Then there are the common vampires, who make up the majority of our society, and below them are humans that were once vampires." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Zero go rigid. "However, the vampire I killed was a level E, something that doesn't even have a place in the vampire social pyramid."

"L-level...E?"

"Level E, for Level End," Kain asserted, "Kiryu should know about this, being from a hunter family."

Zero kept his gaze on the ground, "Vampires who were once human are eventually eaten to insanity, driven by their craving for blood...when they reach this point, they become a Level E."

I couldn't help but absorb the human's tensed demeanor. Realizing I was holding my breath in instinctive anxiety, my eyes flicked rapidly between the two sides of the conversation.

"Because of their uncontrollable bloodlust, they tend to start attacking humans," Ichijo sighed, as if the subject was a taxing matter for him to talk about. "It's the nobles' job to take care of them, but on occasion they get out of hand and-"

"That's when I send Ichijo and Shiki to hunt him down."

Everyone looked towards where those words came from. Kaname Kuran was standing elegantly under the gazebo, his line of vision locked on Yuki. The crowd was murmuring a garble of "Kaname"... "President Kuran"..."He never attends these events"... "How strange!"

Yuki met up with his gaze, "You ordered... that vampire to be..."

"You didn't tell the headmaster," Kaname interrupted, ignoring Yuki's mumbling, "You're a member of the Disciplinary Committee, but when Ichijo invited you here, you came to a dangerous place for someone like you."

The vice president huffed to himself, gazing off to the side. For a split second, we made eye contact, making me quickly look away. The conversation between Yuki and Kaname became muffled as I tried desperately to keep a proper composure.

I didn't want to run away from this. This...this fear, or whatever it was, was not going to get in my way of my ability to be out in public.

But my knees got weaker as the sounds of his footsteps got louder...

_Just try to focus on your book, Evangelline. Loose yourself in the pages of your book __like you always could..._

_He's not standing right behind you, nope, he's far across the pavillion, yup._

"Miss Lobanov?" I could have crumbled at the sound of his voice in my ear. I swallowed hard, sensing his presence behind me.

Keeping my line of vision straight ahead of me, I struck up the courage to answer with a high-pitched "...Yes?"

"I usually don't agree with giving the experience of entertainment to people who should be undergoing punishment, but seeing as Miss Toya is reserved for my dear friend Senri and Miss Souen does not wish to engage in festive activities, I would like to request a dance from you." He held out his hand for me to take.

"I-I'm afraid I'm not a dancer, Vice President," I said quietly.

He laughed softly, sending chills down my spine, "I assure you, Miss Lobanov, I'm quite immune to my feet being stepped on. I insist."

"I-I really shouldn't."

"Considering the circumstances, it would mean a lot," there was an inflection of yearning in his voice as if to say he wanted a simple dance, no strings attached.

It was those words that made me place my shaking hand into his steady one. He held it up to turn me around, placing it on his shoulder, then put his hand on my waist. Gently, he took up my other hand that was hiding between the folds of my soft pink party dress and clutching the book I was reading. He craned his neck to see the title. "I loved the ending to this one..." he said, almost to himself before taking my only form of a security blanket and placing it on a nearby table. Firmly, but delicately, I was pulled out onto the dance floor.

I didn't look at anything but the ground, putting all my focus into stepping in time to music.

"If you're going to put so much effort into dancing, I might as well hoist you on my shoulders so you don't have to strain yourself so much," the vice president said. I could tell he was trying to keep a smile from spreading across his face as I stuttered some type of excuse. He put a finger to my lips, "I'm only kidding," he interrupted, unable to hide his smile any longer. "You're quite shy, aren't you?"

"I was never exactly a people person," I said, trying to hide my blushing face.

"Well, you like reading, don't you?" Ichijo asked, spinning me around. "You should come read manga with me tomorrow night. I feel awful for not knowing who you were when we met in the foyer last week. I want to make it up to you."

I promptly shook my head, struggling for an excuse, "N-no, no, that's quite alright. You did plenty for me already. Besides, I have an ethics exam to study for."

"Ethics? I have your class, we can study together."

"But, Vice President, I-"

There was a disturbing shudder in the air as the party grew silent. I gasped as Ichijo suddenly pulled me closer, having my face meet up with the soft flesh of his neck. I couldn't help but to breathe in what seemed to make him, _him._ It was the sweet, earthy scent of a freshly opened book, mixed with dried tea leaves and the subtle, metallic scent of cold, hardened steel. Instantly, I had the inexplicable desire to inhale this deeply tantalizing aroma like oxygen.

However, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Zero standing in front of Kaname, his gun pointed at the Pureblood's head. Kaname's bodyguard, Seiren, had her hand against Zero's neck.

Almost unconsciously, I tightened my grip on Ichijo's hand, feeling the sense of fear for that weapon as it spread across the entire party.

It was one thing to aim at a misbehaving student, but to threaten a highly respected Pureblood such as Kaname...

Calmly, Kaname put down Yuki's arm, "Seiren, it's alright. I said something I shouldn't have."

There was a pause, then with the slightest bit of hesitation, Ichijo dropped my hand and slid his hand from my waist, "I apologize, Miss Lobanov, I need to handle this."

As the vice president came up to the gazebo, Zero slowly retracted his gun, placing it back in his jacket.

"You've got some nerve pointing that damn Bloody Rose at Kaname, Kiryu. Tearing you to shreds right here and now wouldn't be enough," Aido threatened, his brow furrowing as he folded his arms, clenching his hands into fists.

Ichijo looked to Aido, a nervous smile on his face, "Now, now, Aido, don't really do it."

The vampire scowled, "Yeah, I'll _try_ not to while I'm at this school. I don't want to hinder the headmaster's pacifist ideology, but don't you forget that we're at this academy solely because Kaname, the pureblood vampire, is here."

Yuki stared wide-eyed at Aido, barely vocalizing the words that escaped her lips, "Kaname is a Pureblood vampire..."

"You didn't know that, Yuki?" Kaname's eyes shifted to the girl. "Are you afraid?"

Yuki looked down at her hands and muttered something only Kaname could have heard. The air was still tense, weapons were still drawn, and all eyes were still on the two humans clad in black uniforms.

The pregnant silence was broken by someone clapping their hands together, "Hey, everyone! Don't forget, this is still my birthday party! You all have to celebrate! Yuki and Zero are my honored guests, too!"

The crowed muttered something in exasperation and reluctant compliance as the music started up again.

The soft undertones of the moderate waltz brought me out of my daze, realizing I was locking eyes with Kaname Kuran. His gaze was cold and calculating, contrasting the protective arm he had placed around Yuki. My nerves hit me like a ton of bricks.

I asked Kaname's question to myself.

Was _I_ afraid?

...Yes. More than anything.

But I swallowed hard as I came to the realization that I didn't know _why._

* * *

**As always, feedback/constructive crit is not required, but it is very kindly appreciated. :)**


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